Advertisement
Published: October 12th 2023
Edit Blog Post
Amer Fort
View of Amer Fort from a distance A travel bug resides within me bugging me every now and then. No sooner had I experienced one travel than my mind starts wandering to all the exotic places of this beautiful planet. One such exotic destination which I have always wanted to visit is Rajasthan. My love-affair with this land of valour dates back to the time when my Maa presented me a treasure trove of stories under the sobriquet “Raajkaahini.” Abanindranath Thakur’s vivid description of the Rajputs, Bhils, Huns left an indelible mark on my small impressionable mind. Those who have read Raajkaahini will be able to relate to my perception of Rajasthan as the land of valiant kings, feisty queens, steadfast ministers, undaunted and loyal soldiers.
Finally, my plan of visiting Rajasthan came true last December. On a Saturday night, we began our journey along with the lovebirds Riya and Sayan. The five of us took the evening flight of 9:30 PM to Jaipur and reached around midnight. The hotel “Om Niwas Suite hotel” was 14 km away from Jaipur airport. Next morning, we set out for the lavish Amer fort immortalized in numerous Bollywood movies like Jodha Akbar and Bajirao Mastani. My two cents advise here
is to reach the place before 9 o’ clock to avoid traffic. Pink City traffic can be really unnerving even on a Sunday morning. There are also two food joints inside the fort to have breakfast. After spending two hours in the fort and Riya making sure that all of our photographs were captured at every nook and corner of the opulent fort, we left with mixed feelings – Sayan and Soumen with feelings of envy on Maan Singh’s fortune of possessing a dozen wives, Riya and I with feelings of empathy for the queens sharing their husband with eleven other women. Then we visited Jal Mahal and took some pictures in rented traditional costumes at quite a good bargain, thanks to Riya’s bargaining skills. After having an elaborate lunch, our next stop was Albert Hall Museum. We finished our day with the famous Daal-Bati-Choorma accompanied by pure ghee soaked bajra and makai ki roti dinner in Chouki Dhani.
Next day, early morning, we proceeded for our onward journey to Jodhpur with a stop at Ajmer Sharif Dargah. The hotel “Jodhpur heritage haveli” in the narrow lanes of old Jodhpur made our two nights stay comfortable with their homely
atmosphere. The rooftop has a beautiful view of the Mehrangarh fort. When the lights are lit up in the Mehrangarh fort at night, it creates a mysterious aura and if you press your ears in the air, you can hear the galloping of the horses, penetrating melody of Kamaicha, lilting sound of ankle bells, sonorous sound of clashing swords. Okay time to snap out of the reverie. One important piece of information here for all the “mad for fish” Bengalis. The owner of the hotel arranged fresh Rohu fish for us. So if you are looking for "maachh – bhaat" (rice and fish) 1800 kms away from Kolkata, you know where to look for. The much hyped wedding of our Desi girl with the Disney boy pushed us towards Umaid Bhavan after appreciating the intricate designs of Mehrangarh fort and Jaswant Thada.
Next day, we began our journey for the highlight of our trip – “Sonar Kella”. Yes, Mukul’s Sonar Kella, “Dushtu loker” Sonar Kella, Satyajit Ray’s Sonar Kella aka Jaisalmer fort. It is 7 hours long journey from Jodhpur on the national highway cutting through miles and miles of barren land. If you are lucky, you may get
glimpses of some peacocks. Camels will be everywhere along the way. A trip to Jaisalmer is incomplete without a stay in the desert camp. We stayed at Rosani Resort. The resort truly lives up to its name as the word Rojani literally means "clean and good location". This desert camp is spick and span and very well located just opposite the sunset point. Complementary camel safari is the best part of the trip. Just a tip, reach the sunset point well in advance of the sunset time to soak in the desert ambience. Prior to the camel safari, be sure to go for the adrenaline charged Jeep Safari. All the amenities like Food quality, staff service and the evening cultural program provided in the midst of the desert transported us to an altogether different world.
After splurging on Leheriya Sarees, sandstone knickknacks and spending two nights at Jaisalmer, our next destination was Bikaner almost 8 hours away from the desert camp of Jaisalmer. A must visit place in Bikaner is “National Research Centre on Camel.” Reach well in advance of the closing time of 6 o’ clock in the evening to taste camel milk tea here. Camel hair and
camel bone made products; beauty products made of camel milk along with many other beautiful handicraft souvenirs are available here at very reasonable prices. When in Bikaner, indulge in the sweets authentic to this place and also in the indigenous blankets made from camel hair. Next day, after visiting Junagarh fort and capturing some artistic pictures in the fort, we set out for our last stop Jaipur. We rounded up our tour with visits to the Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Nahargarh fort. When you plan your Rajasthan itinerary, make sure to set aside an entire day for shopping in the shoppers’ paradise Bapu Bazaar. Trust me, I know the nooks and corners of Gariahat, New Market, Dakshinapan, I have shopped in some of the best places in the world. But Bapu Bazaar is the best of the lot.
Why do all good things come to an end?
Because every end heralds new beginning, new promise, new travel, new destination.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.171s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 9; qc: 48; dbt: 0.0693s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb